Automatic weighing-scale.



G. M. LUDLOW.

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIQ, 191a.

Patented May 25, 1915.

5 SHEETSSHEET 1.

7 I6 I Invert/Z07" G. M. LUDLOW.

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1913.

1,140,836. Patented May 25, 1915.

5 SHEETS-$HEET 2- G. M. LUDLOW.

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING SCALE. APPLICATION FILED .MAY 19. 1913.

1,140,836. Patented May 25, 1915.

1 66 a .JIWZZow,

G. M. LUDLOW.

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING SCALE. APPLICATION FILED MAY19. 1913.

1,140,836. Patented May 25,1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

quunll ujp'zwsesx Jnuewr UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

GEORGE M. LUDLOW, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO THE COMPUTING SCALECOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING-SCALEF Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

Application filed m 19, 1913. Serial m. 768,610.

Toall whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE M. LUDLOW,

1 a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Weighing- Scales, of which the following is aspecifivide an automatic scale for weighing goods in which acounterbalancing weight is employed connected to the scale platform bysymmetrically disposed cams and flexible members. A

Another object of my invention is to provide an automatic weighing scalethat will not become inaccurate when slightly displaced'from its normallevel position. Another object of my invention is to provide improvedtransmitting mechanism for actuating a drum chart in connection with anautomatic computing scale.

Still another object of my invention is to provide transmittingmechanism for a drum chart comprising tapes wound oppositely about thechart shaft.

These and other objects of my invention will be apparent in connectionwith the accompanying specification and drawings, taken with theappended claims.

.For the purpose of illustrating my inven: tion andexplaining theprinciple thereof, I have shown a specific embodiment in theaccompanying drawings, together with a few modifications of detail, butit will be understood that the invention is defined in the appendedclaims Referring to the drawingkFigure 1 'is a general perspective viewof an automatic scale embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the counterpoise and the means connecting the same to theend of the scale lever. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the end ofthescale lever and associated structural elements. Fig. 4. is a verticalsection corresponding to the elevation shown in Fig. 3. F1g 5 is anelevation of one of the cams. Fig. 6 1s a vertical section thereof takenon I the line 6 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 7is a top plan view of the cam and associated parts which appear inelevation in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is an inside elevation. of one of the knifeedge supports which appearin top plan view in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is avertical section of the counterpoise. Figs. 10' and 11 illustratemodified cam supporting structures. Fig. 12 is a vertical median sectionof the entire apparatus.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged sectional detail of the same. Fig. 14 is aperspective view of the transmitting mechanism for the drum chart. Fig.15 is a top planview of a detail shown inperspective in Fig. 14. Fig. 16is a vertical section of the same detail.

.The scale illustrated in the drawings is of the type generally known asautomatic; this means that the whole manual operation of weighingconsists merely in placing the goods to be weighed upon the platform orgoods receiver. In other words, no manual adjustment of the counterpoiseis necessary.

The scale shown in Fig. 1 has a base 15 to stand upon the counter andthis base carries standards 16 which support the scale lever 17 on knifeedge bearings at 18. The

platform 20 rests upon the lever 17 with knife edge bearings at 1 9. Thebase 15 carries two standards 21 between which is an inclosed space witha pane of glass 66 at the front; thus forming a housing forcertainmechanism presently to be described. The extreme end ofthe scalelever 1-7 is off set to one side as designated 17 in Fig. 1.

This offset end 17 engages the lower end of the vertical link 23 by auniversal joint 22- i The upper end of this link 23 engages the lever 24by a universal joint 54. The lever 24 is supported at its middle point55 onroller bearings. The ends of thelever 24 1 are connected throughshort tensionsprings 56 tothe lowerends of the tape: 25 and 25. Thestandards 21 carry a drum casin .26 within which is the drum chart 57.his

drum chart 57 is mounted on the spiders 59 carried on the shaft 58. Theends of the shaft 58 are supported in roller bearings not shown in thedrawings. Within the ends of the shaft 58 it carries two pulleys 60 and60,

about which the tapes 25 and 25 are pivoted on the fixed support 63 andits other end pivoted at 64 to the upper end of the arm 61.

65 is a housing for themechanism that has just been described. Thismechanism maintains the platform 20 approximately horizontal for allnormal conditions of the scale.

The end of the scale lever 17 carries a yoke 28 with a depending stud 29shown in Fig. 4. A stirrup 30 has a conical depression that engages thestud 29 and the arms of this stirrup 30 carry a roller 31 between themsupported by adjustable cone bearings with the screw cones 32 engagingthe conical depressions 34 in the roller 31. The screws 32 are held inplace by the lock-nuts 33. Under the roller 31 passes the fiexibleste'eltape 35 with its ends secured by screws to v the respective cams 36.Each can. 36 has a hub 40 carrying the knife edges 41, which rest inagate bearings 39 supported by the brackets 38 mounted on the cross bars37. Each cam 36 has guide lugs 42 between which passes the flexiblesteel tape 43. This tape 43 has its ends secured by screws to the c ams36 and'passes under the roller 46, thus supporting the counterweight 44:This counterweight 4.4: is a lead mass having a space 45 that may havelead shot placed therein for adjustment. The roller 46 is pivotallymounted between the jaws 47 of a yoke which is attached by means oftheitem 48 and the pin 49.

It will be seen that the goods thereon exert a downward pressure on-thelever 17 between its fulcrum 18 and its end; this causes a downwardtension on the tape 35. The counterpoise 44 also pulls downwardly oneach side of the tape 43. The two tapes'35 and 43 pullobliquely down oneach cam 36 on each sideo'f its knife edge bearings 41, and thus the cams kept in equilibrium. When a weight is added on the platform 20,increased. tension on the tape 35 rotates the cams up, increasing themoment arm for the pull on the branches of the tape43 until a newposition of equilibrium is attained. As increasing the platform 20 andweight on the platform 20 depresses the lever 17, the link 23 is pulleddown, thus causing the tape 25 to unwind from the pulley 6( and thetape'25 to wind upon the pulley 60. In this way the drum chart 5'? iscaused to rotate in accordance with the movement of the lever 17. Thetension springs 56 will kcep the tapes 25 and 25 taut and will alsopermit the drum 57 to lag momentar ly, if need be, on account of itsinertia, behlnd the movement of the lever 24.

It will readily be understood that the proper contour can be given tothe cams 36 so that the graduations on the drum within the casing 26will be uniform. Or, for any given contour of thecams 36, within limits,the graduations on the drum within the easing 26 can be adjusted so asto give correct readings of weights and total costs.

Instead of having knife edge bearings for the cams 36, as shown in Fig.2, I may provide each cam with a roller 50 on each side and let theserollers 50 rest upon the frame members 37. In this case the two extratapes 51 for each cam are provided as shown in Fig. 10 so as toconstrain the rollers 50 to roll on the bars 37 instead of slidingthereon. As shown in Fig. 11, vertical frame members 52 may be providedand the rollers 50may be hung on the tapes 53. In this case the pull onthe tapes 35 and 43 being obliquely down and to the right, the

rollers 50 are held against the bars 52.

llf the scale shown in Fig. 1 is tilted slightly to the right or left,the rollers 31 and 46 will permit readjustment of the parts and thusthere is a compensating effeet so that, within limits, a slightdeviation from level position of the scale does not disturb thesubstantial accuracy of its readings.

It will be observed that the counterweight 44 is supported by the twodiverging branches of the tape 43; thus the counterweight 44 isprevented from swaying laterally as it would do if supported by only asingle vertical tape.

I claim:

1. In a scale for weighing goods, a platform, a counterweight, andconnecting mechanism from the platform to the countel-weight comprisinga scale lever and symmetrically disposed flexible element's from the endthereof.

2. Ina scale for weighing goods, a platform, a counterweight, andconnecting mechanism from the platform .to the counterweight comprisinga scale lever and flexible elements extending divergently from the.counterweight and from the lever.

' '3. In a scale for weighing goods, a platform,- a lever, acounterweight in vertical alinement with the end of the lever, twocams,one on each side of the counterweight,

a platform thereon,

and flexible elements connecting the end of. the lever and thecounterweight to the said cams.

4. In a scale for weighin goods, a lever, a platform carried on theever, a counterweight above the end of the lever, two cams, one oncachside of thecounterweight, flexible tapes connecting the end of thelever to the cams and also connecting the counterweight to the cams andequalizers at the end of the lever and at the counterweight.

5. In a scale. for weighing goods, a platform, a lever, a counterweightin vertical alinement with the end of the lever, two cams, one on eachside of the counterweight, a roller carried by the counterweight,another roller carried by the end of the lever, and two flexible tapeseach having its ends connected to a respective cam, one tape passingunder the roller on the end of the lever and the other tape passingunder the roller on the counterweight.

6. In a scale for weighing goods, a horizontal lever, a platform carriedthereby, a framework above the end of the lever, two opposed camssupported on said framework, flexible tape connections from the end ofthe lever to the said cams, a counterweight between the: cams andflexible tape connec tions to support said counterweight'from said cams.

7. In a scale for weighing goods, a platform, a lever, a counterweightin vertical alinement with the end of the lever, two cams, one on eachside of the counterweight, flexible elements connecting the end of thelever and the counterweight to the said cams,

and equalizing means for said flexible elements located at the end ofthe lever and upon the counterweight.

8. In a scale for weighing goods, lever, I a platform thereon, acounterweight,

necting mechanism from the lever to the counterweight comprisingsymmetrically, disposed cams and flexible elements and also comprisingequalizing means at the lever and at the counterweight to accommodatelateral tilting of the scale, said flexible elements engaging said leverand counterweight through said equalizing means.

9. In a scale for weighing goods, a lever, a counterweight, andconnecting mechanism from the lever to the counterweight comprising aplurality of flexible members extending divergently upward from thelever and from the counterweight, said flexible members having theirupper and outer portions operatively connected. 10. In a scale forweighing goods, a horizontal lever, a platform carried thereby, aframework above the end of the lever, symmetrically disposed camscarried by framework, a counterweight above end said I of the scalelever.

' 11. In a scale for weighing goods, a platform, a lever, acounterweight in vertical alinement with the end of the lever, two cams,one on each side of the counterweight, flexible elements connecting theend of the lever and the counterweight to the said cams, a computationchart, and mechanism connecting the lever to the chart adapted to givethe chart a displacement proportional to the movement of the lever, thecontour of the cams being adapted to give equilibrium positionsfor'uniform displacements of the lever and uniform increments of weightupon the platform.

12. In a scale for weighing goods, a drum chart,'an axial shaftsupporting the same, pulleys fixed on said shaft near its ends, tapeswound in opposite directions on said pulleys, and transmitting mechanismfrom the goods receiver'of the scale to wind and' unwind said tapes inopposite directions and thereby rotate the drum chart.

13. In a scale for weighing goods, a cylindrical drum chart, ahorizontal axial shaft supporting the same, pulleys fixed onsaid shaftnear its ends, tape's wound on said I ing therefrom, an approximatelyhorizontal lever with its ends connected to the lower ends of the saidtapes and having a fixed fulcrum at its middle point, and scalemechanism connected to said lever at one side of its fulcrum.

1 1. In a scale for weighing goods, a cylindrical drum chart, ahorizontal axial shaft supporting the same, pulleys fixed on said shaftnear its ends, tapes wound'on said pulleys in opposite directions anddepending therefrom, tension springs connected to the lower ends of saidtapes, an approximately horizontal lever with its ends connected to saidtension springs, a fixed fulc-rum for said lever at its mlddle. oint,and

scale mechanism connected to the ever at a point on one side of itsfulcrum. V

1 5. In a scale for weighin goods, a cylindrical drum chart, an axiaIshaft for the same, two pulleys on said shaft, tapes wound on saidpulleys in opposite directions, and scale mechanismconnected to the ends0 said tapes, said scale mechanism being adapted to simultaneously pullon one tape and yield on the other and thereby rotate the drum chart.

16. In a scale for weighing goods, a portable base frame, a pair ofopposed cams 1'0:

'tatabiy mounfie'cl thereon, flexibIeelements a'filzaehed $0 the camsand adapted to wind 'shereon, gravifigy members to Poe balanceo'iagainsfi each other, sai'clflexible elements Foe- .ing aiataeheci $0-one of said members and diverging upwardly therefrom to the said eams,and equalizingmeans at the point of attachment of said flexible elementsto said ail-Aimee member to accommodate lateral tilting of the scale.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribefi I my name. i

GEORGE M. L'UDLOW. v Witnesses;

WALTER A. Scam, THOMAS F. SHERIDAN.

